Counting mechanisms



April 13, 1965 u. w. AUER 3,178,111

councrme MECHANISMS Filed Aug. 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 13, 1965 u. w. AUER COUNTING MECHANISMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1963 FIG.3

United States Patent G 3,178,111 CUUNTING MEQHANISMS Ulrich Wolfgang Auer, Geneva, Switzerland, assiguor to Sodeco, Soeit des Compteurs do Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 360,028 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Aug. 24, 1962, l0,tl%/62 4- Qlairns. CE. 235-144) This invention relates to a re-setting device for the counters of a counting mechanism Comprising 1a re-setting heart, a lever arrangement actuating the re-setting heart as well as connecting pinions capable of being disengaged and freely rotatable on a shaft.

Such re-setting devices are already known. They operate in the following manner: during the resetting movement first the pinions meshing in the gear wheels of the individual counters are brought out of engagement with the said gear wheels and then resetting members are pressed against the re-setting hearts, whereby the counters are turned back to the Zero position.

Known re-setting devices of this type operate with a connecting pinion bridge, which carries a shaft for the pinions and is capable of swinging about a pivot, so that the pinions come out of engagement with the gear wheels of the counters. Coupled with the movement of this pinion bridge are the re-setting members adapted to swing about separate pivots and co-operating with the re-setting heart. These re-setting members usually consist of spring-driven re-setting grippers or even of re-setting hammers. All these known devices have in common the fact that they consist of several structural parts movable relatively to one another and kinematically coupled in a rather complicated manner. Besides the shaft for the pinions at least two more rotatable shafts are necessary, namely firstly the swinging axle for the pinion bridge and secondly the pivots for the re-setting members.

In addition in these known devices special measures must be taken to prevent the cipher rolls or counters from carrying out uncontrolled movements owing to vibrations or force of gravity in the period between release of the gear wheels by the pinions and abutment of the resetting members against the hearts or during the return movement of the re-setting members to the rest position until re-engagement of the pinions in the gear wheels. This is achieved, for example, by retaining the counters during the return movement of the re-setting members by springs. In other known constructions immediate engage ment of the pinions is obtained by friction existing between re-setting members and shaft-guiding lever. However, the counters are still free for a brief moment, as there must always be some play between the pinions and the gear wheels. The risk of accidental movement of the counters is therefore not reliably avoided.

Apart from the high manufacturing costs necessitated by these known re-setting, devices, the relatively large space requirements of these devices are an inconvenience particularly in the case of impulse counters working with cipher rolls.

The object of the invention has been to provide a simple re-setting device which can be manufactured and assembled without high precision requirements and at the same time needs only a small space and is therefore especially suitable for miniature counters and in which, moreover, care is taken to ensure that the counters or cipher rolls are not freely rotatable at any stage during the resetting operation.

The invention is characterized by the feature that the shaft for the connecting pinions forms the pivot for the lever arrangement connected therewith and is mounted at 3,178,1ll Patented Apr. 13, 1965 each end in an oblong hole in the casing wall of the casing wall of the counting mechanism in such a manner that it is pressed by spring means in the direction of the cipher rolls, the connecting pinions meshing in the gear wheels of the counters, whilst on actuation of the lever arrangement for re-setting, the connecting pinions are brought out of engagement with the gear wheels through displacement of the shaft in the oblong holes against the action of the spring means.

One embodiment of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view of one narrow side of one embodiment of the re-setting device in the engaged position of the connecting pinions.

FIGURE 1a shows diagrammatically the forces acting on the lever arrangement.

FIGURE 2 is a view according to FIGURE 1 in the position occupied by the re-setting device after the first part of the actuating movement.

FIGURE 3 shows the position occupied by the resetting device after continuation of the actuating move ment during the re-setting of the counters.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the broad side of the embodiment according to FIGURES 1 to 3.

The re-setting device as shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 belongs to a counting mechanism of known design not shown in detail, which has, as shown in FIGURE 4, four, for example, counters or cipher rolls 23, 24, 25 and 26 arranged on the shaft 27, the said rolls indicating four decimal positions. The re-setting device comprises the lever arrangement I with the four lever arms 2, 3, 4, and 5 as well as the two power arms 6 and 7. All the lever arms are connected as shown in FIGURE 4- by a web 36. The lever arrangement 1 is mounted on the shaft 8, on which the connecting pinions 9, ill and 11, 12 are rot table in a freely movable manner.

The ends of the shaft 8 are mounted in the two oblong holes 15 and is in the lateral casing wall parts 13 and 14. In the position shown in PEGURE 1, the shaft 8 is pressed by the springs 17 and 18 (FIGURE 4) acting on the points 1a of the power arms against the upper edge of the oblong holes, the springs being secured to the casing at the points 30. In this position of the shaft the connecting pinions 9, It), 11 and 12 are in engagement with the corresponding gear wheels 19, 2t 21 and 22 of the counters or cipher rolls 23, 24, 25 and 26, so that counting mechanism can be moved on in steps in a known manner by a driving mechanism not shown. The cipher rolls are provided with known re-setting hearts 31, 32, 33 and 34.

An actuating pin 35 resting on a power arm is freely displaceable in the Vertical direction and projects out of the casing. The end position of the lever arrangement in which the lever arms 2 to 5 are removed from the resetting heart, is determined by a stop 29 rigidly connected with the pin, which stop bears on the inner side 23 of the casing under the action of springs 17 and 13. FIGURE 1a serves to illustrate the forces acting on the lever arrangement.

The springs 17 and 18 are, for a reason to be explained later, arranged obliquely so as to exert a force on the power arm 6 and 7 in the direction of the arrow P In order that in the rest position of the device shown in FIGURE 1, as large a bearing force F as possible and hence a secure engagement position of the pinions is obtained, the ratio l /l of the lever lengths must be made as high as possible.

To actuate the re-setting device, the pin 35 is pressed down in the direction of the arrow F During the first part of this actuating movement, the lever arrangement 1 is rotated about the shaft 8 until the ends of the lever arms 2 to 5 strike the re-sctting heart. This intermediate position is shown in FIGURE 2. During this actuating stage, the vertical position of the shaft 3 in the oblong holes does not alter and the pinions 9 to 12 remain in engagement with the gearwheels 19 to 22. Only when through contact of the lever arm ends with the re-setting heart, a reaction force F as shown in FIGURE 1a is set up, does the shaft 8, on further movement of the pin 35 in the direction F move downwards in the oblong holes, whereupon the pinions 9 to 12 come out of engagement with the gear Wheels 19 to 22. So that a small force is sufficient for engagement of the pinions, it is advisable for the ratio /1 of the lever arm lengths as shown in FIGURE in to be made as large as possible. On continuation of the actuating movement, the lever arrangement 1 is rotated about the shaft 8 pressed. against the lower edge of the oblong holes, whereby the lever arms 2 to 5 press against the re-setting hearts 31 to 3d and in a known manner effect the re-setting of all cipher rolls to zero. setting movement is shown in FIGURE 3, in which the cipher rolls or counters have already been through one angle in an anti-clockwise direction. At the end of the re-setting movement the ends of the lever arms 2 to 5 are located in the notches of the re-setting hearts 31 to 34, which corresponds to the zero position of the counting mechanism.

The reaction force F (FIGURE la) set up during the resetting described at the bearing points of the lever arm ends on the re-setting hearts would cause an undesirably high bearing friction of the shaft 8, if this force P were not extensively compensated by the spring force F exerted in the approximately opposite direction. For this reason the oblique position of the springs has been selected. The advantage of this release of stress on the bearing during the actual re-setting movement over weighs the disadvatnage caused by the unnecessary bearing force component F during the initial rotation of the shaft.

If the pin 35 is let go, then first of all the shaft 8 moves upwards again, so that the pinions come into engagement with the gear wheels. During this movement the lever arm ends remain pressed against the re-setting hearts whilst undergoing the small sliding movement. For this reason the stop ends (2a in FIGURE 1) of the lever arms are designed to have a fiat face.

Only when the pinions are completely engaged, do the lever arms become detached from the re-setting hearts and the lever arrangement returns to the rest position shown in FIGURE 1.

This course of movement is, exactly like the force of movement during the actuation movement, is important, because it ensures that the cipher rolls are not freely rotatable at any time and cannot carry out uncontrolled movements.

The pinions are either always in engagement with the gear Wheels or the lever arm ends press against the resetting hearts. As shown in FIGURE 4, the springs 17 and 18 are arranged not perpendicularly to the shaft 3 but are inclined so that the lever arrangement is pressed against one bearing side and is thus held in a definite axial position. This prevents the lever altering the position of the pinions 9 to 112 through play. It is also sufficient to make only one spring inclined.

The whole lever arrangement I may consist of a single structural part which merely has to be secured on the shaft 8. As in addition to the shaft 8 for the pinions, the operating pin 35 and the springs 17 and I8, no other structural parts, mounts and rotating shafts are necessary, the whole re-setting device can be manufactured and mounted cheaply and takes up practically no extra room and is in any case required for the cipher rolls and the pinions.

Naturally, the arms of the lever arrangement and the operating pin do not have to be designed as shown dia- An intermediate position during this re- A grammatically in FIGURES 1 to 3, but many variations allowing a re-setting according to the invention to be obtained are conceivable. A re-setting electromagnet can also be used for the actuation.

I claim:

1. A resetting mechanism for a counter including a first shaft and a plurality of toothed counter rolls coaxially rotatable on said shaft, said resetting mechanism comprising a heart-shaped resetting cam rigid with each said counter roll, a second shaft parallel to said first shaft, a plurality of pinions on said second shaft positioned to mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls, means movably supporting said second shaft for guided movement toward and away from said first shaft between an operative position in which said pinions mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls and a resetting position in which said pinions are disengaged from said toothed counter rolls, means biasing said second shaft toward said operative position, a plurality of levers fulcrumed on said second shaft and having lever arms positioned to engage said heart-shaped resetting cams and actuating means for simultaneously rocking said levers about the axis of said second shaft to bring said lever arms into engagement with said heart-shaped resetting cams and thereafter by continued movement of said levers to move said second shaft to its resetting position and thereby disengage said pinions from said toothed counter rolls and by said engagement of said lever arms with said mart-shaped resetting cams effect resetting of said cams and associated counter rolls.

2. A resetting mechanism for a counter including a first shaft and a plurality of toothed counter rolls coaxially rotatable on said shaft, said resetting mechanism comprising a heart-shaped resetting cam rigid with each said counter roll, a second shaft parallel to said first shaft, a plurality of pinions on said second shaft position to mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls, means movably supporting said second shaft for guided movement toward and away from said first shaft between an operative position in which said pinions mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls and a resetting position in which said pinions are disengaged from said toothed counter rolls, spring means biasing said second shaft to operative position, a plurality of levers fulcrumed on said second shaft and having first lever arms positioned to engage said resetting cams and a second lever arm extending to the opposite side of said second shaft, and an actuating pin extending in a direction approximately parallel to the direction of movement of said second shaft and adapted to depress said second lever arm to rock said levers about the axis of said second shaft to thereby urge said first lever arms against said resetting cams and thereafter by continued movement to move said second shaft against said bias to said resetting position and thereby disengage said pinions from said toothed counter rolls and by engagement of said first lever arms with said resetting cams effect resetting of said cams and associated counter rolls.

3. A resetting mechanism, for a counter including a first shaft and a plurality of toothed counter rolls coaxially rotatable on said shaft, said resetting mechanism comprising a heart-shaped resetting cam rigid with each said counter roll, a second shaft parallel to said first shaft, a plurality of pinions on said second shaft positioned to mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls, slotted bearings movably supporting said second shaft for guided movement toward and away from said first shaft between an operative position in which said pinions mesh with said toothed counter rolls and a resetting position in which said pinions are disengaged from said toothed counter rolls, lever means fulcrumedon said second shaft and comprising a plurality of incurved lever arms having end portions engageable with said resetting cams respectively and at least one actuating arm, an actuating pin engageable with said actuating arm at a point spaced from said second shaft to swing said lever means about the axis of said second shaft in a direction to move said incurved arms toward said resetting cams, stop means limiting movement of said actuating arm and spring means acting on said actuating arm at a point between said actuating pin and said second shaft in a direction to bias said second shaft to said operative position, whereby actuation of said actuating pin first swings said lever arms about the axis of said second shaft in said operative position to engage said end portions of said lever arms with said resetting cams and thereafter moves said second shaft to its resetting position to disengage said pinions from said toothed counter rolls and by continued engagement of said lever arms with said resetting cams effects resetting of said cams and associated counter rolls.

4. A resetting mechanism for a counter including a first shaft and a plurality of toothed counter rolls c0- axially rotatable on said shaft, said resetting mechanism comprising a heart-shaped resetting cam rigid with each said counter roll, a second shaft parallel to said first shaft, a plurality of pinions on said second shaft positioned to mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls, means movably supporting said second shaft for guided movement toward and away from said first shaft between an operative position in Which said pinions mesh respectively with said toothed counter rolls and a resetting position in which said pinions are disengaged from said toothed counter rolls, means biasing said shaft toward said operative position, lever means fulcrumed on said second shaft and comprising a Web extending parallel to said second shaft and a plurality of lever arms rigid with said web and extending in planes perpendicular to said second shaft, said lever arms being positioned to engage respectively said resetting cams and actuating means acting on said lever means to rock said lever arms about the axis of said second shaft to bring them into engagement with said resetting cams and thereafter move said second shaft from said operative position to said resetting position and thereby disengage said pinions from said toothed counter rolls and by continued engagement of said lever arms with said resetting cams effect resetting of said cams and associated counter rolls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,356,607 10/20 Dixon 235-144 2,034,825 3/36 Newell 235144 2,992,775 7/61 Luscher 2'3 5- 144 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,104,745 4/ 61 Germany.

8 81,200 11/ 61 Great Britain.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RESETTING MECHANISM FOR A COUNTER INCLUDING A FIRST SHAFT AND A PLURALITY OF TOOTHED COUNTER ROLLS COAXIALLY ROTATABLE ON SAID SHAFT, SAID RESETTING MECHANISM COMPRISING A HEART-SHAPED RESETTING CAM RIGID WITH EACH SAID COUNTER ROLL, A SECOND SHAFT PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF PINIONS ON SAID SECOND SHAFT POSITIONED TO MESH RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID TOOTHED COUNTER ROLLS, MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID SECOND SHAFT FOR GUIDED MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FIRST SHAFT BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID PINIONS MEANS RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID TOOTHED COUNTER ROLLS AND A RESETTING POSITION IN WHICH SAID PINIONS ARE DISENGAGED FROM SAID TOOTHED COUNTER ROLLS, MEANS BIASING SAID SECOND SHAFT TOWARD SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, A PLURALITY OF LEVERS FULCRUMED ON SAID SECOND SHAFT AND HAVING LEVER ARMS POSITIONED TO ENGAGE SAID HEART-SHAPED RESETTING CAMS AND ACTUATIG MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ROCKING SAID LEVERS ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID SECOND SHAFT TO BRING SAID LEVER ARMS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HEART-SHAPED RESETTING CAMS AND THEREAFTER BY CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVERS TO MOVE SAID SECOND SHAFT TO ITS RESETTING POSITION AND THEREBY DISENGAGE SAID PINIONS FROM SAID TOOTHED COUNTER ROLLS AND BY SAID ENGAGEMENT OF SAID LEVER ARMS WITH SAID HEART-SHAPED RESETTING CAMS EFFECT RESETTING OF SAID CAMS AND ASSOCIATED COUNTER ROLLS. 